Audi bringing back 'Horch' name for super-luxe A8

Audi bringing back 'Horch' name for super-luxe A8

Sedan to compete against Mercedes' Maybach brand, powered either by V8 or W12

byAlex Reid | September 24, 2018

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2018 Audi A8LHandout

Audi plans to revive the more-than-100-year-old “Horch” brand so it can stick the nameplate on a new facelifted Audi A8, according to a report by Automotive News.

If we backtrack slightly for context, the Horch name comes from August Horch, a man who used to work for Karl Benz until he started a new automobile company called Horch & Cie. Motorwagenwerke AG, but when problems arose at that company, he broke off and started Audi. Horch, Audi, DKW and Wanderer joined in 1932 to form Auto Union.

Horch cars had always been luxurious, so it’s fitting for Audi to bring back the nameplate for their top-of-the-line Audi A8. The Horch name will return in two to three years to fall in line with the mid-cycle facelift of the full-sized sedan.

The A8 Horch will have more equipment than the A8L, but will not stretch the wheelbase like the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class it will compete against. The A8 will be the only Audi getting the “Horch” treatment, while Mercedes plans to extend Maybach to other models.

Not much is known yet about the new Horch, though custom alloy wheels and “Horch” badges on the front fenders or C-pillars are expected. Powerplants for the big sedan will come via either a V8; or the twin-turbo 6.0-litre W12 that hasn’t yet been made available for the A8 or A8 L. That would mean 600 horsepower and 633 lb-ft of torque.

Unfortunately, Audi also says that the current generation of A8 will be the last model to feature the awesome W12.